Book 1: Burning Flame
by xXFaithblossomXx
Summary: Firestar, the fire that saved the Clans. We know his story, but what if it had been different? What would have happened, if he wasn't he only ginger cat around? What would have happened if he wasn't the only one that the prophecy could be about? With a leader that can't decide, a medicine cat in love and an evil force nobody could imagine, can the Clans survive?
1. Allegiances&Prologue

**ALLEGIANCES**

_**THUNDERCLAN**_

**LEADER**

**Bluestar **– blue-gray she-cat, tinged with silver around her muzzle

**DEPUTY**

**Redtail **– small tortoiseshell tom with a distinctive ginger tail  
_**Apprentice, Dustpaw**_

**MEDICINE CAT**

**Spottedleaf **– beautiful dark tortoiseshell she-cat with a distinctive dappled coat

**WARRIORS**_(toms and she-cats without kits)_

**Lionheart **– magnificent golden tabby tom with thick fur like a lion's mane  
_**Apprentice, Graypaw**_

** Tigerclaw **– big dark brown tabby tom with unusually long front claws  
_**Apprentice, Ravenpaw**_

** Whitestorm **– big white tom  
_**Apprentice, Sandpaw**_

** Darkstripe **– sleek black-and-gray tabby tom

** Longtail **– pale tabby tom with dark black stripes

** Runningwind **– swift tabby tom

** Willowpelt **– very pale gray she-cat with unusual blue eyes

** Mousefur **– small dusky brown she-cat

**APPRENTICES**_(more than six moons old, in training to become warriors)_

** Dustpaw **– dark brown tabby tom

** Graypaw **– long-haired solid gray tom

** Ravenpaw **– small, skinny black tom with a tiny white dash on his chest and a white-tipped tail

** Sandpaw **– pale ginger she-cat

**QUEENS**_(she-cats expecting or nursing kits)_

** Frostfur **– beautiful white she-cat with blue eyes (mother of Cinderkit, a dark gray she-cat, Brackenkit, a golden-brown tabby tom, Brightkit, a white she-cat with ginger patches, and Thornkit, a golden-brown tabby tom)

** Brindleface **– pretty tabby she-cat (mother of Fernkit, a pale gray she-cat with darker flecks and pale green eyes, and Ashkit, a pale gray tom with darker flecks and dark blue eyes)

** Goldenflower **– pale ginger she-cat (mother of Swiftkit, a black-and-white tom with pale amber eyes)

** Speckletail **– pale tabby she-cat, and the oldest nursery queen

**ELDERS** _(former warriors and queens, now retired)_

** Halftail **– big dark brown tabby tom with part of his tail missing

** Smallear **– gray tom with very small ears. The oldest tom in ThunderClan

** Patchpelt **– small black-and-white tom

** One-eye **– pale gray she-cat, the oldest cat in ThunderClan. Virtually blind and deaf.

** Dappletail **– once-pretty tortoiseshell she-cat with a lovely dappled coat

* * *

_**SHADOWCLAN**_

**LEADER**

**Brokenstar **- long-haired dark brown tabby tom

**DEPUTY**

**Blackfoot **– large white tom with huge jet-black paws

**MEDICINE CAT**

**Runningnose **– small gray-and-white tom

**WARRIORS**

**Stumpytail **– brown tabby tom  
_**Apprentice, Brownpaw**_

** Boulder **– silver tabby tom  
_**Apprentice, Wetpaw**_

** Clawface **– battle-scarred brown tom  
_**Apprentice, Littlepaw**_

** Nightpelt **– black tom

**QUEENS**

**Dawncloud **– small tabby she-cat (mother to Featherkit, a light brown tabby she-cat)

** Brightflower **– black-and-white she-cat

**ELDERS**

**Ashfur **– thin gray tom

* * *

_**WINDCLAN**_

**LEADER**

**Tallstar **– a black-and-white tom with a very long tail

* * *

_**RIVERCLAN**_

**LEADER**

**Crookedstar **– huge light-colored tabby tom with a twisted jaw

**DEPUTY**

**Oakheart **– reddish brown tom

* * *

_**CATS OUTSIDE CLANS**_

** Yellowfang **– old dark gray she-cat with a broad, flattened face

** Smudge **– plump, friendly black-and-white kitten who lives in a house at the edge of the forest

** Barley **– black-and-white tom who lives on a farm close to the forest

** Rusty **– ginger tom with a flame-colored pelt

** Lily **– fiery ginger she-cat

* * *

**Prologue**

"Fire alone can save our Clan," the tortoiseshell meowed, turning to the blue-gray she-cat. "I don't know what StarClan is trying to tell me, but that was the only thing they wanted to say."

They gray she-cat stared at the tortoiseshell for a long while. "But fire means danger. Surely StarClan doesn't want our Clan to be destroyed?"

"Bluestar, I am only telling you what StarClan told me. I don't understand the message, but I'm sure StarClan will guide our paws," the tortoiseshell she-cat said gently.

"I envy your faith, Spottedleaf," the leader told her. She sighed and looked up into the sky. "I just hope that the fire will be quick, as we don't have enough apprentices or warriors."

"Bluestar, don't fret. Everything will be alright, you'll see," Spottedleaf meowed. She got up and touched Bluestar's shoulder with her tail. "You should go and get some sleep." Spottedleaf dipped her head to the leader and leaped down the Highrock. She waved her tail and walked over to the medicine cat den. She disappeared through the split in the rock and left Bluestar alone on the Highrock. The blue-gray she-cat sighed and looked up into the clear night sky.

"StarClan, whatever it is that you are trying to tell me, please, help me guide my Clan through this hard time." The stars glittered but they stayed silent. Bluestar shook her head and slowly got up. With one last glance at the stars, she jumped down the Highrock and slowly padded into her den.

* * *

Bluestar shivered as she fluffed out her fur to keep out the cold. She was on a patrol that consisted of her finest warriors, Tigerclaw, Whitestorm and Redtail. They were patrolling the edge of their territory that bordered twolegplace. Bluestar was about to tell them they could go back to camp when a flash of ginger caught her eye. "Wait here, I think I saw something," Bluestar told her patrol.

Redtail, her loyal deputy, nodded. "Okay,"

Bluestar disappeared into the bushes and began to stalk the flash of ginger. It wasn't a fox, like she thought before, it was a cat. A tom to be exact. The tom was hunting, but before Bluestar had time to be angry, the tom stepped out into the sunlight and his ginger fur lit up. He looked like a brand of fire. _Fire! The prophecy! _Bluestar watched the tom with interest. The ginger tom fell into a hunting crouch and Bluestar was surprised at how good it was. It wasn't perfect, but it was good for a kittypet. Bluestar strained to see what the tom's prey was and lifted her head. He was hunting a small mouse which was nibbling on a seed. It didn't see the tom, and as the tom was about to catch it, a blur of ginger flew out of a tree and landed right on top of the mouse. Bluestar shrank back before leaning forward. _What was that? _It was a ginger she-cat and as she stepped out of the shadows her fur too lit up. _They both look like they caught fire…wait a minute, fire! 'Fire alone can save our Clan', what if the prophecy doesn't even refer to the fire, but to those two cats? But the prophecy didn't say anything about two 'fires'. So if the prophecy is about one of them, who is it? The tom or the she-cat?_

"Lily!" the tom protested. "That was my prey!"

"But I was faster," the ginger she-cat – Lily – replied, snickering.

The tom let out a growl. "If you had just waited for a second-"

"You would have caught it. But _I _didn't wait, I saw my chance and I took it, not like you, Rusty," Lily meowed, cutting him off. "Don't fret, you can have some."

Rusty stared at Lily for a second before nodding. "Okay," he meowed grudgingly. Lily laughed and took the mouse between her yaws. She dropped it in front of Rusty and nudged it toward him. "You can have the first bite," she offered, eyes full of amusement.

Rusty meowed his thanks and took the first bite of the mouse. "Mhm, delicious," he mumbled and took a second bite.

"Don't eat it all!" Lily exclaimed and settled down, taking her first bite of the mouse.

Bluestar watched them until the mouse was gone and both ginger cats had gone home. Bluestar got up and stretched her stiff muscles. _I should hurry back, I bet Redtail is worried. _Bluestar thought and raced back to her patrol.

"Bluestar, where were you?" Redtail jumped up and ran forward to meet her halfway. "We were worried out of our fur!"

"I'm sorry, but I was occupied," Bluestar meowed. "I'll tell you later."

Redtail nodded, though he still watched her suspiciously. Bluestar ignored him and walked past him, gathering the rest of the patrol. "We're going back," she told them curtly and whisked past them and toward camp. "I have to talk to Spottedleaf."


	2. Chapter 1: Meeting someone new

**Chapter 1**

_(Lily's POV)_

Lily yawned as she slipped out of the house of her owners. She enjoyed the warmth of the sun, knowing that she should enjoy it as long as she could because snowfall was soon to be there. Lily looked around in the hope that her best friend Rusty was already waiting for her, but to her disappointment the ginger fur of her friend was nowhere to be seen.

Lily sighed and leaped over the red fence that surrounded the house. She stretched out her limbs and looked out into the forest. Her house bordered the forest; it was the last in the row. Rusty's house was only two houses away and normally he would already be waiting for her. But today Lily woke up early, so Rusty wasn't there yet.

Lily looked back at her house, wondering whether to go into the forest or wait for Rusty. She almost decided to stay, but the forest looked so tempting, so Lily bounded off into the green of the trees and bushes. _I'll be quick, _she told herself, _I'll catch a mouse and go back, Rusty will like fresh prey in the morning. _Satisfied to have found a solution, Lily wandered through the forest, looking for prey. She quickly found the scent of a mouse and fell into a hunting crouch. Tail high in the air, she started stalking it and tracked down the mouse. Suddenly, she heard a branch snap behind her. Lily whirled around and narrowed her eyes into tiny slits. She didn't see any movement, not even after she stared at the bushes for what felt like an hour and was completely unprepared when a figure jumped out of the undergrowth and pinned Lily down onto the ground. Lily let out a shriek and wriggled out of her attackers grip. Whirling around she made a run back to her house. She could feel her attacker's breath on her back and knew it was useless. Her attacker was so much faster than her and she wouldn't make it back to her house in time before the cat behind her caught her. Lily made her decision and took a deep breath before she spun around and lashed out at the cat.

It was a ginger she-cat with green eyes and she wasn't much older than Lily was. She seemed surprised that Lily attacked her, because she stumbled back and looked at Lily with confusion, but quickly caught herself and swiped at Lily's nose. Lily was quick enough to dodge the blow, but only barely. The ginger she-cat launched herself at her and jumped onto her back, holding her down with her weight. Lily thought quickly and flipped onto her back, crushing the sandy ginger she-cat. Her opponent went limp and Lily jumped off, concerned that she may have hurt her. The ginger she-cat jumped up immediately and gleefully launched another attack, but this time Lily was prepared and flung her on the ground as the ginger she-cat jumped at her. They began to wrestle and even though Lily managed to deliver some blows, her attacker was better. Lily managed to give her a nick in her ear, but the she-cat gave her a scratch on her flank and grasped hold of her paw, twisting it slightly. Her flank stung and she couldn't attack with her right paw and the she-cat finally pinned her down. It satisfied Lily to see that the cat was panting, even though she didn't look as battered as she did. Lily braced herself for whatever it would be that was coming, but the she-cat only jumped off and meowed, "Good fight,"

Lily stared at the she-cat with a black expression. _What?_

Her former opponent cocked her head. "Are you deaf? Didn't you hear me?"

"I'm not deaf!" Lily exclaimed and heaved herself up. She glanced at the ginger she-cat warily, measuring if she was likely to attack again, but the she-cat just sat down and drew her paw over her ear.

"I'm Sandpaw, what about you?" The she-cat – Sandpaw – asked calmly.

_That's a weird name, _Lily thought and for a moment she was tempted to not answer her question, but since this Sandpaw seemed to be trying to be friendly, she decided not to ignore her. "Lily," she answered curtly, still a bit taken aback by the sudden friendliness.

"I surely didn't expect a kittypet to fight that good," Sandpaw meowed. "Even though you aren't as good as the apprentices of ThunderClan. Though you should be happy that you only ventured into ThunderClan territory and not ShadowClan. They would have ripped you to pieces for sure! They don't like it if kittypets venture into their territory."

"Kittypets? ThunderClan? ShadowClan? What are you talking about?" She looked at Sandpaw like she was crazy. In return, Sandpaw stared at her like she was crazy.

"Surely you heard about the four Clans in the forest?"

"Clans? Listen, I have no idea what you're talking about!" Lily insisted, whiskers twitching with annoyance.

"Okay, okay, calm down," Sandpaw meowed. "There are four Clans here in the forest, well, not really the forest but around it…well, you get the point. There is ThunderClan, RiverClan, ShadowClan and WindClan. I'm ThunderClan," she puffed out her chest proudly. "We live in this forest. Our territory borders with ShadowClan and RiverClan. RiverClan cats love swimming and their prey is mostly fish," - she wrinkled her nose with disgust - "I don't get how they stand fish every day. They taste horrible!"

"Wait, you're saying there are groups of cats here?" Lily interrupted.

"Yeah," Sandpaw shot her a look that implied that she didn't like being interrupted. "Every Clan has a leader, a deputy, a medicine cat, warriors, apprentices, queens and elders. We all care for each other and," Sandpaw suddenly stopped. "Someone's coming!" she hissed. "Hide!" But before Lily could take one step, the leaves rustled and two cats emerged.

Lily shrank back as she saw them. One of them was a blue-gray she-cat, the other one a white tom. Both of them were twice as big as she was, they had scars over their bodies and their claws gleamed as they unsheathed them. Lily didn't doubt that they could tear her into pieces in only a few moments.

"Bluestar, Whitestorm," Sandpaw meowed respectfully and dipped her head. She motioned to Lily to do the same. "That's Bluestar, the leader of my Clan," she whispered and flicked her tail into the direction of the blue-gray she-cat. "And that's Whitestorm, my mentor and a senior warrior."

_They all have such strange names, _Lily thought as she dropped low onto the ground.

"Thank you for the introduction," Whitestorm said drily and Sandpaw, embarrassed, turned her head away.

"Sandpaw, what were you doing so near to twolegplace?" Bluestar questioned. She didn't sound angry with Sandpaw; she actually didn't show any emotion.

"I- I-," Sandpaw stuttered. "Someone told me to," she muttered.

"And who is that someone?" Bluestar inquired.

"He- he told me not to tell," Sandpaw mumbled, clearly not feeling quite comfortable. "He told me to look out for any ginger cats."

Bluestar sighed and shook her head. "Redtail," she murmured. "Sandpaw, were there any other ginger cats?"

_What do they have with ginger cats? _Lily thought irritated, but she wasn't going to show anything; she didn't want to give them any excuse to attack her.

"N-no, I only saw this one," Sandpaw gestured over to her. "There was nobody else with her."

Bluestar nodded thoughtfully. She opened her mouth to say something, but in that moment a ginger cat fell out of a tree and right on top of Bluestar. Lily expected Bluestar to at least be surprised, but the blue-gray she-cat didn't even stumble, she grabbed the attacker by the scruff and flung him away. The ginger cat struggled to get up and Lily recognized him. "Rusty!" She dashed over to him and supported him with her shoulder. "What are you doing here?"

"I went over to your house and when you weren't there I went into the forest to find you. And then I saw you getting attacked by those cats," Rusty snarled, eyes blazing.

Lily looked over at Bluestar and was surprised to see that her eyes gleamed with amusement. "You have a fighter's spirit," she meowed. "Do you know about the Clans?"

Rusty looked at Bluestar and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. After a few long seconds he nodded slowly. "Yes, I've heard of them, but only bad things. How you are vicious and how you eat the bones of your prey and your enemies."

"What? That's the most mouse-brained thing I have ever heard!" Sandpaw exclaimed. "We aren't vicious and we most certainly don't eat bones! They're disgusting!"

Bluestar let out a _mrrrow _of laughter. "Sandpaw, calm down, they're only rumors. And tell me, if we were vicious, how is it that you are still alive?"

Rusty opened his mouth to retort but closed it again almost immediately as he found the truth in the words of the she-cat.

Bluestar chuckled and turned her head slightly toward Whitestorm. Her eyes held a question Lily couldn't quite identify, but Whitestorm seemed to know, because he narrowed his eyes and glanced over at Rusty and her. "Are you sure?" he asked. "They're kittypets."

"I'm sure," Bluestar answered him gently and turned back to Lily and Rusty. "Lily, Rusty, I will offer you something I won't offer twice. Do you want to join ThunderClan?"

Lily froze. _Joining ThunderClan? But I don't know anything about it! How can I join something where I don't even know what it is? _Lily's thoughts were interrupted by Rusty meowing, "Can I think about your offer?"

Bluestar didn't seem that happy about it but nodded anyway. "Okay. Whitestorm will wait for you here tomorrow at dusk. If you aren't there at moonhigh, I will take that as your answer. The same goes with you Lily."

"But how can I join something that I don't even know? How am I supposed to know if it's the right thing to do?" Lily questioned, fixing her gaze on Bluestar.

She chuckled and answered, "You will feel it." With those words Bluestar dipped her head and disappeared into the bushes. Whitestorm followed his leader but not before shooting Lily and Rusty a thoughtful look. Sandpaw jumped up and raced after them but then she froze and turned around again, running back. "Bye!" She butted her head against Lily's shoulder before running off again, leaving a very puzzled Lily behind.

_What should I do?_

* * *

**A/N: Thanks to Rainwind-evil cookie-cat, Tales Power and ****x-SwiftyGirl-x for reviewing! You all get a Rusty plushie! Yay :) I changed the cover, could you please take a look at it? I designed it myself ;D okay, I didn't take the two pictures, but I put them together and added the title, so…yeah :)**

** Rainwind-evil cookie-cat: **_No, they are not siblings! They are not related whatsoever._

**Oh, and this may seem fast, but do you want a forbidden romance in this series or not? Do you want Lily to get a mate? Do you want Rusty to get a mate? And how should Lily's Clan name be? Oh, and Rusty and Lily will not get together, just to let you know.**

**Should it be**

**A) Fawnpaw**

**B) Flamepaw**

**C) Lightningpaw**

**D) Willowpaw**

**E) Echopaw**

**F) Mistypaw**

**G) Foxpaw**

H) Squirrelpaw

I) Sunpaw

**J) Blazepaw**

**K) Blazepaw**

**Please tell me in a review which one you want! Tell me your favorite and you least favorite please! And, if you have another suggestion, tell me in a review too! Okay, that was it! Thanks for reading the long authors note and until next time!**

**~Faithblossom**


	3. Chapter 2: ThunderClan

**Chapter 2**

Lily watched Sandpaw disappear into the undergrowth, still a bit confused. _What was that? _

"Lily."

"Mhm?" Lily looked up at Rusty. "What is it?"

"Will you join ThunderClan?" He asked her, not meeting her gaze. He was staring out into the forest, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"I don't know. I don't know _anything _about this ThunderClan. I don't know if it's the right thing to do, Rusty," Lily answered, looking at him hopelessly. Long silence followed her words as Rusty just stared into the trees. Right as Lily wanted to say something; Rusty opened his mouth and meowed, "I think I'll join."

"_What?_ Rusty, you know nothing about ThunderClan. How do you know that it's right for you?" Lily exclaimed, eyes widened.

"Lily, don't you think we're different than normal housecats? We go into the forest to hunt. Did you ever see another housecat doing that? Did Smudge do that? Henry? No, they didn't. They're even scared of the forest! And I don't know why, but I feel like the forest is calling me. Lily, I'll join, if you like it or not!" Rusty's eyes gleamed with…anticipation?

Lily sighed and turned her head away from him. She felt the same way as he did, but there was something that held her back of being so enthusiastic about it. She felt as though something bad was going to happen, but whatever it was, she wasn't going to let her friend go there alone. At last she lifted her head and fixed her emerald green eyes on Rusty. "If you're going, I'm going too."

Rusty looked at her with surprise and gratitude. Lily purred and pushed her muzzle into his fur. "Let's go say good-bye to our friends. You don't want to go to ThunderClan without telling your friends, do you?"

Rusty shook his head and smiled at her. "Thanks Lily."

"No problem." Lily grinned back and together they raced back to their homes, knowing it would be the last time they would see them.

The sun was slowly setting and Rusty was pacing outside of Lily's home. "Rusty, calm down!" Lily told him exasperated. "It's going to be fine!"

"Okay, okay," Rusty muttered and finally settled down next to Lily, only to be on his paws only a minute after, pacing again.

"Fine, we're leaving!" Lily yowled, sending Rusty a death glare. "Since you're so desperate on going."

"Sorry, I can't help it!" Rusty stopped pacing and faced Lily. "But what happens if they don't like us? What if they just tell us to go home again? What if-"

"_Rusty! _Stop being so frantic! Bluestar herself invited us into ThunderClan; I don't think they would go against their leader, would they?"

That seemed to do the trick. Rusty slowly nodded and took a deep breath. "Sorry, you're right. But I think we should really get going, the sun is almost gone."

Lily exhaled in relief. "Thank you," she murmured and leaped over the fence. "You coming?"

Rusty purred and jumped over it, landing right beside her. "You bet. Race you there!" Rusty leaped forward and made a dash for the forest. "Hey!" Lily squeaked and raced after him, quickly catching up. "You don't think you could beat me, do you?" She teased and pulled forward. The trees blending into a green blur as she sped past them, the wind ruffling her fur, the sound of her paws thrumming against the ground…it was not until then that she realized how much she enjoyed being outside of her house and in the forest, how much she enjoyed being free and how much she-

"Lily!"

She flinched and skittered to halt, whirling around. "Rusty! You scared me!"

"Did you plan on running forever? We've already reached the place where we should meet Whitestorm," Rusty purred, whiskers twitching with amusement.

Lily's ears burned with embarrassment and she turned away from him. "I knew that."

"Of course you did," a new, deep voice rumbled.

Lily turned just in time to see the big white tom emerging from the trees. "There will be a time when you will be able to scent me, even if you are concentrating on something else. But now, do you know if there's someone else with me?"

Lily blinked once; twice…she saw how Rusty peered into the darkness, before announcing, "I can't see anything."

Whitestorm shook his head exaggerated. "_Scent _them, not see them."

Lily nodded in understanding and lifted her muzzle, taking in all the scents. "Bluestar and Sandpaw aren't there," she began. "But there is someone with you. At least one cat."

Whitestorm nodded. "Very good. You are right, Bluestar and Sandpaw aren't here with me, but he is." He flicked his tail and the leaves rustled. Out came a big, golden tom with long, shaggy fur and gleaming amber eyes.

"Hello," he rumbled. "My name is Lionheart. You must be Lily and Rusty, the two kittypets Bluestar invited into the Clan."

Lily was too taken aback from his appearance to say anything, but apparently Rusty wasn't. "Yes, yes we are. Do you think we aren't worthy enough to be joining ThunderClan?"

"When did I say that?" Lionheart asked; his voice full of amusement. "Now come, we want to be back at camp before moonhigh." Lionheart turned around and exchanged one look with Whitestorm before speeding of. Whitestorm gestured to them to follow and then ran after Lionheart. Lily had never run so fast in her life. Lionheart and Whitestorm were streaking through the forest, one a blur of white, the other a blur of golden. They were running at top of their speed, it seemed amazing that they didn't crash headfirst into a tree. They weren't slowing down for Lily or Rusty, so they didn't have any time to ask questions. At last Whitestorm and Lionheart slowed down until they stopped. When Lily and Rusty finally caught up, panting and completely out of breath, Whitestorm was the first to speak. "Now, what can you smell?"

Lily caught her breath first and scented the air. "I can smell cats," she began. "And…I think I can smell Bluestar. And Sandpaw!"

Rusty nodded quickly. "Me too! And I can scent an old trace of you Whitestorm," he added proudly.

Whitestorm and Lionheart exchanged an amused look. "Then let's go in." Whitestorm pushed his way through a gorse tunnel. Lionheart followed; then Rusty and then Lily. Lily padded down the ravine and held her breath as she saw the entire camp. It was surrounded by brambles and there was a huge rock in the middle of the clearing. On the left side was a fallen tree, on the right side a rock that had a crack in the middle. At the base of the big boulder in the middle was a cave and there was lichen that covered the entrance. The clearing was crowded with cats, more cats than Lily had ever seen at one place at the same time. There was a pile full of fresh prey, even though it was almost snow-fall.

One by one the cats lifted their heads to look at the newcomers and Lily felt more and more uncomfortable under all the stares and Rusty seemed to feel the same. Lionheart and Whitestorm led the way through the cats to the base of the big rock and called, "Bluestar? We're back. With Lily and Rusty," he added with a quick thought.

The lichen rustled and out came Bluestar. "So they came," she murmured. "What do you think of them?"

Lionheart glanced at Lily and Rusty before answering. "They didn't ask for us to slow down and they kept up with us the entire time of travelling. I think they should join."

Whitestorm nodded. "I agree with Lionheart. Let them join."

Bluestar smiled and dipped her head. Then she leaped up onto the boulder and yowled, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather around the Highrock to hear my words!"

Even though almost all cats were already there, Bluestar's call brought every cat that was still missing out into the clearing. Lily craned her neck to see if she could see Sandpaw and there she was, sitting beside a dark brown tabby tom.

"As you know, we have to be strong to overcome this leaf-bare and we have to be ready to conquer ShadowClan if they decide to attack us. We aren't as strong as we used to be, so I searched for someone who was willing to join us and I found not only one, but two who were ready to join."

Her words were at first met with silence until the first outraged yowl got loud.

"Who are they? They smell like kittypets!"

More yowls followed the first, all very similar.

"We don't want kittypets in our Clan!"

"What will the other Clans think?"

"Bluestar, are you mad?" The last one was much louder than the others and the other cats fell silent. "They are weak. It could be acceptable if we take in the tom, he could prove himself to be useful, but the she-cat? That's only another mouth to feed!" The cat sneered and Lily's fur began to bristle.

_How _dare _he? _Lily narrowed her eyes into tiny slits. She looked around until she spotted the speaker. It was a sleek black-and-gray tabby tom and Lily's eyes narrowed even more.

"We shouldn't allow her to join! She won't be any use. She'll eat away our prey, the prey that we desperately need!" The tom jeered and that made it. Lily launched herself at the tom and even though he was much bigger than her, her attack came unprepared and he staggered. Lily brought her paw hard down on the toms head and the tom flinched. He rolled onto his back to crush her, but she jumped off his back before he could do so, so his attack only resulted in him lying on his back. He snarled at her and jumped up, extending his paw to claw her face. Lily pulled back in just the right time and his claws missed her face by mere inches. The tom was furious now, she could tell, as he slashed out again with much more force than the last one. Lily tried to dodge, but he snagged her collar with his claw. His eyes gleamed with anticipation as he pulled on it, taking away Lily's breath. She gasped for air and she wriggled, trying to escape her collar. The tom pulled harder and Lily turned her head. She couldn't breathe anymore, her attempts to free herself got weaker and weaker. With one last attempt, she collected all her strength and with one mighty pull she broke free. The collar snapped into two pieces and the tom, unprepared as he was, lost his balance and fell backwards, though Lily only staggered before she regained her balance. She quickly moved away from the tom as he got up and shot her a death glare. A young tortoiseshell she-cat rushed to his side and guided him away from the cats.

"Does any cat think that Lily is not worthy of being taken into ThunderClan?" Bluestar asked icily and when no one replied, Bluestar nodded. "Good." She jumped down and landed neatly on the ground. "Rusty, Lily, please come forward."

Lily obeyed and stepped forward, meeting up with Rusty.

Bluestar stared at Lily and Rusty for a moment, making Lily feel uncomfortable. Just when Bluestar was about to say something, the last rays of sunshine bundled themselves and dipped both Lily and Rusty in warm light before the sun disappeared altogether.

"Fire," Bluestar whispered, looking uncertainly at both of them. Then certainty filled her eyes and her voice travelled through the silent clearing as she meowed clearly, "Rusty, from this moment on until you receive your warrior name you will be known as Firepaw." She paused for a moment and let her gaze sweep across the assembled cats. "Your mentor will be Longtail. I Longtail will pass down all he knows on to you." Lily craned her neck to see if she could spot the cat that was chosen to be her friends mentor. At first she couldn't see him, but then she saw how a tabby tom with dark black stripes got up and slowly walked over to Bluestar and Rusty. She couldn't see if he was excited, proud or annoyed to get Rusty as an apprentice.

"Longtail," Bluestar continued, "you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Darkstripe, and you have shown yourself to be intelligent and loyal. You will be the mentor of Firepaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to him."

Longtail looked at Rusty – no, Firepaw – for a short moment before leaning down and touching noses with him. He whispered something into Firepaw's ear, but Lily didn't strain herself to hear what he was saying. After that, Longtail drew back and went back to crowd. He sat down and Firepaw quickly followed, sitting down next to him.

Bluestar turned to Lily and something about her eyes made Lily shiver. "Lily, from this moment on until you receive your warrior name you will be known as-"

**A/N: Okay, I feel really evil right now . sorry, please don't kill me! DON'T KILL ME! Okay, thanks :D mmmh…okay, thanks to ponyiowa, anonymous Guest and Thistleface for reviewing! **

** ponyiowa **_*squeals* It's ponyiowa! I love your stories! You're such a good writer! I'm honored that you're reading my story! AAAAH! *goes crazy* *clears throat* Yeah… sorry :D_

** Guest **_Maroonpaw sounds good :D I'll decide whether I'll take Sunpaw, Echopaw or Maroonpaw :) thanks!_

** Thistleface **_Yep, it helped me a lot! I'll take either Sunpaw, Echopaw or Maroonpaw :)_

**You all get a Rusty plushie :D and for those who will review, you will get a still-called-Lily plushie! And if you're wondering why I didn't give Lily a name yet, it's because I can't decide on how to call her yet. So please help me! Do you want it to be…**

**A) Sunpaw**

**B) Echopaw**

**C) Maroonpaw?**

**Please answer me! PLEEEAAASE!**


	4. Chapter 3: New Names and new Destinies

_**Faithblossom:** _Sorry for the very late update! I had it written down on a piece of paper, but I lost it :/ now I found it again! Anyway, this is only one half of the chapter, originally it should've been longer, but since I left you hanging for a very long time I decided I'll give you the first half now and the second half either today or tomorrow. Excited? You should be!

_**Lily:** _Faithblossom doesn't own warriors!  
**_  
Faithblossom:_**Well, I _am _posting this on FanFiction, ain't I?

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**Chapter 3**

_(Lily's POV)_

Lily's heart raced as she held her breath. _This is it. There's no turning back. I'm going to be a ThunderClan. _And even though she was nervous, she felt like this was the right thing to do. She wasn't scared; she knew this was her destiny. She would be a ThunderClan cat and she would do everything to everything to protect her new home. She raised her head and looked at Bluestar. The blue-gray she-cat stared back at her before meowing clearly, "Lily, from this moment on until you receive your warrior name you will be known as," Bluestar hesitated. Lily's heart pounded in her chest. Then Bluestar smiled at her and continued, "You will be known as Sunpaw."

The heart of the newly named Sunpaw sung with happiness as she accepted her new name. It filled every fiber of her body and she purred. _Sunpaw…_

"Your mentor will be…" Bluestar hesitated once again, her gaze sweeping across the assembled cats. She seemed to have a difficult time choosing a mentor for her, but then the moon light up Bluestar's blue-gray fur and there was a breeze that seemed to carry a voice into the clearing. _"Bluestar will be Sunpaw's new mentor." _Sunpaw heard skipped a beat as she looked up at Bluestar. She seemed just as shocked as Sunpaw and as she looked around she saw that her new Clanmates felt the same. On every face was the same surprise as on hers or Bluestar. Sunpaw's gaze fixed on Firepaw and she held her breath as she saw something flicker across his face. Jealousy? Before Sunpaw could think about it anymore, Bluestar regained her consciousness and she yowled, "I will take the post as your mentor! I will pass down everything Cedarpelt and Sunfall taught me and I will turn you into a warrior that ThunderClan can be proud of!"

There was a silence and Sunpaw started to feel uncomfortable, Sandpaw raised her head and began cheering. "Sunpaw, Firepaw! Sunpaw, Firepaw!" One by one the other cats joined, until every cat in the clearing cheered hers and Firepaw's new name. Sunpaw purred and she felt happier than she ever felt before. She turned her head and she was relieved when she saw that the jealousy had passed. Sunpaw purred and glanced at Bluestar. She looked uneasy, but she didn't know why and she didn't have any more time to think about it, since the Clan circled her and Firepaw and congratulated them.

"Welcome!"

"Hey Sunpaw, hey Firepaw!"

Sunpaw buzzed with happiness as she looked into the faces of her clanmates. She couldn't really see them because the sun already went down, but the moon was high in the sky and dove the pelts of the others in a silvery light.

"Sunpaw!"

That voice specifically made Sunpaw happy. The pale ginger fur of Sandpaw pushed into Sunpaw's line of sight. "Hey Sandpaw."

"Great name by the way," Sandpaw purred and butted her head against Sunpaw's shoulder. "And good job with making StarClan decide that Bluestar would be the best to be your mentor. Bluestar never would've chosen to mentor you by herself. She's just like that."

Sunpaw nodded confused. "Okay."

Sandpaw smiled at her. "Don't think about it too much. So, I'm guessing that Bluestar doesn't have time in the moment to show you around camp, so I'll show it to you if it's fine with you."

"Of course, but what about Firepaw?"

Sandpaw laughed and stepped aside, revealing Firepaw talking to a long-haired and sturdy gray tom. "I think he's already occupied."

"Who's that?"

"I guess you're not talking about Firepaw," Sandpaw teased. "His name is Graypaw. He's an apprentice like me, Dustpaw and Ravenpaw. Come on, I'll show you where we sleep."

Sandpaw led Sunpaw over to a clump of ferns next to a tree stump. "We sleep in the ferns. The warriors den is right there, next to the entrance." Sandpaw gestured over to a bush with a gap in the middle. "Did you know that the senior warriors sleep in the middle where it's the warmest? And the youngest warriors are forced to sleep in the outer circle, where it's colder." Without letting Sunpaw even open her mouth, Sandpaw swept on. "The warriors sleep next to the entrance so that they can fight off enemy warriors if they intrude and attack us. The nursery is directly next to the warriors' den. You see that thick bramble bush? They sleep there. It's very protected so that the enemy warriors will have a hard time attacking our queens or the kits."

Sunpaw nodded and inspected both the warriors' den and the nursery. The nursery had a huge gap; Sunpaw guessed that that was the entrance. The warriors' den had a smaller gap, probably because the warriors' den should be kept warm. The nursery's entrance hole was bigger and the reason for that was probably that the kits shouldn't get caught in the brambles and hurt themselves.

"Now, shall we continue?" Sandpaw asked, looking at Sunpaw curiously.

"Yeah, why shouldn't we?" Sunpaw cocked her head.

"You were drifting off, I thought you fell asleep," Sandpaw teased, eyes sparkling with amusement. Sunpaw batted at Sandpaw with one paw but Sandpaw easily dodged, letting out a teasing _mrrrow_ of laughter. "Is that all you can do?" Sandpaw shook her head mockingly. "Are you sure that you want to become a warrior?"

Sunpaw knew that Sandpaw didn't mean it, but Sunpaw narrowed her eyes. "I will do what it takes to become a loyal warrior of ThunderClan. It is what I am destined to do and I won't let anyone stop me from achieving my goal."

Sandpaw gave Sunpaw a measuring look. "You think you can do it?"

Sunpaw held Sandpaw's gaze and replied confidently, "Yes, I know I can."

Sandpaw nodded slowly. "Then you will. You know, the reason why some fail to become warriors is because they aren't confident they can do it, but you don't show that weakness. You seem to have the strength of a warrior. But enough of this serious talk, I'll show you the rest of our – your – camp."

Sunpaw nodded and purred. "Let's do it!"

And she knew, this was where her destiny was, it was here, in ThunderClan, with all of her clanmates. She didn't know what would be coming, but she knew that she would be ready and that she would achieve her goal of becoming a warrior that ThunderClan could be proud of!

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**_Faithblossom:_**There! Do you like Sunpaw's name? Do you? Do you? Review please? It always makes me ridiculously happy when I receive an e-Mail notifying me that I got a new review :)


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